Cyclists Know How To Fix Things

On Tue, 30 Dec 2014 02:06:36 -0600
adam wrote:

On 2014-12-29, Bret Cahill wrote:
Bicycles are simpler than cars.

Bicycles require more knowledge of structures, dynamics and
fittings, i.e., a creaking/clicking cotterless crank needs to be
torqued more.

With cars often the most the mechanic does is unbolt and replace a
defective part.


In some cases maybe. But I would not say that maintaining/fixing
bicycles requires more knowledge comparing to what you need to know
to fix a car. Complexity of a internal combustion engine alone is far
grater than complexity of a bicycle.

Bike and car mechanics are quite different - cars may have greater
mechanical complexity, but it's often the simple minimalism of a bike
that makes it hard to fettle properly. There's really nothing in the
car mechanic's world quite like truing a bike wheel. With a car you
fit a part, align it as required and torque it - you're done. With a
bike there can be a lot more fractional tweaking to get things just
right. Bikes have many variables because they're a jumble of standard
parts, where (for example) the performance of the brakes or gears can be
affected by the dimensions and alignment of the frame.
As a professional bike mechanic I encountered enough bikes "fixed" by
"mechanics" and "engineers" to see that those skills aren't necessarily
transferable to fixing bikes. Not that I think you'd be any better off
going in the other direction. :-)

On Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:24:10 -0000, "Tarcap" wrote:



"Bret Cahill" wrote in message
...

Bicycles are simpler than cars.

Bicycles require more knowledge of structures, dynamics and fittings,
i.e.,
a creaking/clicking cotterless crank needs to be torqued more.

With cars often the most the mechanic does is unbolt and replace a
defective
part.


In some cases maybe. But I would not say that maintaining/fixing bicycles
requires more knowledge comparing to what you need to know to fix a car.
Complexity of a internal combustion engine alone is far grater than
complexity
of a bicycle.

Because power and weight are limited to a fraction of a % of motor vehicles,
everything is maxed out in cycling and reliability is traded for
performance. That's partly why the cost/mile of tires in cycling isn't
lower than in motoring.

That is one driver.

Another is everything except the bearings and inner tubes is visible on a
bicycle. Why take something to a mechanic when you can see what is wrong?

At a minimum a bicycle is the all important gateway or stepping stone to
more sophisticated devices.

Finally, the bicycle wheel is the most beautiful structure ever created by
man or God. I always like to park my bike where I sleep for 2 reasons: I
have nightmares about it getting stolen. When I wake up in a cold sweat I
can quickly reassure myself and can go back to sleep. But also because it's
something to admire and make me feel optimistic when I wake up in the
morning.


Oh, God, another one who keeps his bike in his house (well, OK, he might
sleep in his shed, though, I suppose).
And I thought Simon Mason was barking for keeping his bike in the kitchen!

Didn't Mason keep his in a bedroom at one time?

Bicycles are simpler than cars.

Bicycles require more knowledge of structures, dynamics and fittings,
i.e.,
a creaking/clicking cotterless crank needs to be torqued more.

With cars often the most the mechanic does is unbolt and replace a
defective
part.


In some cases maybe. But I would not say that maintaining/fixing bicycles
requires more knowledge comparing to what you need to know to fix a car.
Complexity of a internal combustion engine alone is far grater than
complexity
of a bicycle.

Because power and weight are limited to a fraction of a % of motor vehicles,
everything is maxed out in cycling and reliability is traded for
performance. That's partly why the cost/mile of tires in cycling isn't
lower than in motoring.

That is one driver.

Another is everything except the bearings and inner tubes is visible on a
bicycle. Why take something to a mechanic when you can see what is wrong?

At a minimum a bicycle is the all important gateway or stepping stone to
more sophisticated devices.

Finally, the bicycle wheel is the most beautiful structure ever created by
man or God. I always like to park my bike where I sleep for 2 reasons: I
have nightmares about it getting stolen. When I wake up in a cold sweat I
can quickly reassure myself and can go back to sleep. But also because it's
something to admire and make me feel optimistic when I wake up in the
morning.


Oh, God, another one who keeps his bike in his house (well, OK, he might
sleep in his shed, though, I suppose).

Always keep a spare in the shed just in case.

And I thought Simon Mason was barking for keeping his bike in the kitchen!

A mechanic in Sandy Eggo had at least one really nice road bike in every room of his dad's bungalow, including the bathroom.

We had one major philosophical difference: He was philosophical about flat tires.


Bret Cahill

On 31/12/2014 03:12, Bret Cahill wrote:
Bicycles are simpler than cars.

Bicycles require more knowledge of structures, dynamics and fittings,
i.e.,
a creaking/clicking cotterless crank needs to be torqued more.

With cars often the most the mechanic does is unbolt and replace a
defective
part.


In some cases maybe. But I would not say that maintaining/fixing bicycles
requires more knowledge comparing to what you need to know to fix a car.
Complexity of a internal combustion engine alone is far grater than
complexity
of a bicycle.

Because power and weight are limited to a fraction of a % of motor vehicles,
everything is maxed out in cycling and reliability is traded for
performance. That's partly why the cost/mile of tires in cycling isn't
lower than in motoring.

That is one driver.

Another is everything except the bearings and inner tubes is visible on a
bicycle. Why take something to a mechanic when you can see what is wrong?

At a minimum a bicycle is the all important gateway or stepping stone to
more sophisticated devices.

Finally, the bicycle wheel is the most beautiful structure ever created by
man or God. I always like to park my bike where I sleep for 2 reasons: I
have nightmares about it getting stolen. When I wake up in a cold sweat I
can quickly reassure myself and can go back to sleep. But also because it's
something to admire and make me feel optimistic when I wake up in the
morning.


Oh, God, another one who keeps his bike in his house (well, OK, he might
sleep in his shed, though, I suppose).

Always keep a spare in the shed just in case.

And I thought Simon Mason was barking for keeping his bike in the kitchen!

A mechanic in Sandy Eggo had at least one really nice road bike in every room of his dad's bungalow, including the bathroom.

We had one major philosophical difference: He was philosophical about flat tires.

Was he also philosophical about dog-excrement on the tread of the tires
(or even the tyres)?

In article , Bret
Cahill writes

A mechanic in Sandy Eggo had at least one really nice road bike in every room of
his dad's bungalow, including the bathroom.

The bathroom! That's awful, things would rust in no time!
--
Sue ]8(

On Fri, 2 Jan 2015 12:56:40 +0000
Darkside wrote:

In article ,
Bret Cahill writes

A mechanic in Sandy Eggo had at least one really nice road bike in
every room of his dad's bungalow, including the bathroom.

The bathroom! That's awful, things would rust in no time!

It's easy enough to build a bike that contains no non-stainless steel.
These days even frames are available in stainless steel, if you don't
want aluminium, titanium or carbon fibre.

In article , Rob Morley
writes
On Fri, 2 Jan 2015 12:56:40 +0000
Darkside wrote:

In article ,
Bret Cahill writes

A mechanic in Sandy Eggo had at least one really nice road bike in
every room of his dad's bungalow, including the bathroom.

The bathroom! That's awful, things would rust in no time!

It's easy enough to build a bike that contains no non-stainless steel.
These days even frames are available in stainless steel, if you don't
want aluminium, titanium or carbon fibre.

There's always something. A hex bolt, a lamp component. Aluminium
turns to white powdery dust and joints between different metals are a
whole other field of study.
--
Sue ]

On Mon, 29 Dec 2014 15:42:31 -0800 (PST), Bret Cahill
wrote:

https://www.yahoo.com/diy/young-peop...523138575.html

Bicycles are simpler than cars.

Bicycles require more knowledge of structures, dynamics and fittings, i.e., a creaking/clicking cotterless crank needs to be torqued more.

With cars often the most the mechanic does is unbolt and replace a defective part.


......and becoming a surgeon simply involves cutting meat.

On Mon, 29 Dec 2014 15:42:31 -0800 (PST), Bret Cahill
wrote:

https://www.yahoo.com/diy/young-peop...523138575.html

Bicycles are simpler than cars.

Bicycles require more knowledge of structures, dynamics and fittings, i.e., a creaking/clicking cotterless crank needs to be torqued more.

With cars often the most the mechanic does is unbolt and replace a defective part.

Er, fixing a creaking crank involves unbolting the sealed for life
bearing assembly and replacing it.

Was your bicycle made in a shed in 1936 ?